Loose Ends: New Wilco, Stones Roll In Regina Dough, And Brandy Involved In Fatal Crash

Wilco are finishing work on Sky Blue Sky, their new Nonesuch album due on May 14 to follow 2004's A Ghost Is Born.

It's the group's first record since guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone became full-time members. The band produced the disc at their Chicago studio, The Loft. Among the songs being considered for inclusion are "Shake It Off," "Side With The Seeds," "Glad It's Over," "Either Way" and "Walken."

Two sold-out Rolling Stones shows in Regina in October grossed $12.01 million, putting them in the top 10 for all North American concerts last year and at #34 of all time, according to concert industry magazine, Pollstar. About 80,000 people saw the shows at Mosaic Stadium, and it's estimated that the performances generated more than $10 million for the province's economy.

R&B singer/actress Brandy (full name Brandy Norwood) was involved in a four-car freeway crash in California that killed a 38-year-old woman on Dec. 30.

Brandy was driving a 2007 Land Rover about 110 kilometres per hour when it hit the back of a 2005 Honda, which then hit another vehicle, slid sideways into a centre divider and was struck by an oncoming car on the 405 Freeway, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

Awatef Aboudihaj was taken to hospital, where she died from blunt-force injuries. Her death was ruled an accident by a coroner. Brandy wasn't injured and her publicist says that she wasn't under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident.

Heather Masse is replacing Annabelle Chvostek and joining founding members Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody in The Wailin' Jennys. Chvostek joined the folk-based group two years ago and now plans on focusing on a solo project and touring with her own ensemble. The Jennys are in the midst of a U.K. tour, which will be Chvostek's last one with them.

Toronto concert announcements:

Feb. 1 Birds Of Wales and Simon Wilcox @ Rivoli
Feb. 1 Money Money and A Plot Against Me @ Bovine Sex Club
Feb. 2 Dandi Wind, Kids On TV and Sons Of Brixton @ Mod Club
Feb. 2 The Magpies and The McFlies @ Hugh's Room
Feb. 3 Bob Snider @ Hugh's Room
Feb. 3 Chris Murray, Frankie Foo And The Yo-Yo Smugglers and Mitch Girio And The Pragmatics @ Smiling Buddha Bar
Feb. 3 Matt Minglewood @ Healey's Roadhouse
Feb. 7 Deep Dark United, Gastric Female Reflex and Women In Tragedy @ Press Club
Feb. 9 Attack In Black @ Mod Club
Feb. 11 Denise Williams @ Al Green Theatre
Feb. 16-17 Odetta @ Hugh's Room
Feb. 17 Johnny Truant @ Reverb
Feb. 18 The Human Abstract @ Opera House
Feb. 24 Sons Of Maxwell @ Hugh's Room
Feb. 24 Germans @ Sneaky Dee's
Feb. 27 Bright Eyes @ Opera House
March 2 David Francey @ Hugh's Room
March 2 Jamaica To Toronto @ Lee's Palace
March 3 MV And Ee, Jon-Rae and All Under Heaven @ Music Gallery
March 7 Kataklysm @ Fun House
March 11 Ember Swift @ Hugh's Room
March 11 Pete Yorn and Moses Mayfield @ Phoenix
March 16 Grand Theft Bus @ Rivoli
March 22 Electric Six @ Lee's Palace
March 22 Heaven And Hell, Megadeth and Down @ Air Canada Centre
March 23 Earl "Chinna" Smith, Kiddus I and Jason Wilson @ Hugh's Room
March 23 Hoodoo Gurus @ Horseshoe Tavern
March 24 Autumn Defense @ Horseshoe Tavern
March 25 Explosions In The Sky @ Opera House
March 26 Mary Gauthier and Eliza Gilkyson @ Hugh's Room
April 4 Champion, Malajube, Chromeo and You Say Party! We Say Die! @ Phoenix
April 9 Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard @ Hummingbird Centre
May 2 Ted Leo And The Pharmacists @ Mod Club
May 8 The Kooks @ Lee's Palace

Vancouver concert announcements:

Feb. 10 D.O.A., The Furies, Rebel Spell and First Reign @ Richard's On Richards
Feb. 16 Erin McKeown and Eleni Mandell @ St. James Hall
Feb. 16-17 Gord Bamford, Damian Marshall and Karen Lee Batten @ Cascades Casino Summit Theatre
Feb. 23 54-40 @ Showbarn
Feb. 24 Jamie Foxx @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
March 3 Michael White And The White @ Commodore Ballroom
March 8 The Nylons @ Kay Meek Centre
March 8 Rickie Lee Jones @ Commodore Ballroom
March 11 The Zombies and The Awkward Stage @ Richard's On Richards
March 11 Heaven And Hell, Megadeth and Down @ Pacific Coliseum
March 20 Red Sparrowes @ Pat's PubMarch 26 Champion, Malajube, You Say Party! We Say Die! @ Richard's On RichardsMarch 31 Elvis Perkins In Dearland @ Media Club
April 6 Blue October @ Commodore Ballroom
April 9 The Haunted, Dark Tranquility and Into Eternity @ Croatian Cultural Centre
April 24 Kaiser Chiefs, The Walkmen and The Little Ones @ Commodore Ballroom